Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I was reading my reviews (by the way, a sincere thank you for anyone that reviewed my story) and I noticed that a lot of you want Nejiten-ness soon. Well, I wanted to warn you that that isn't going to happen anytime soon. I intend to make this story quite long, so uh...sorry. But please keep reading my story :)

Also, I believe in different kinds of love (family love, romantic love etc.), and a lot of you asked why Tenten doesn't love Neji but she does, just in another way.

Anyway, continuing with the story...


Chapter Nine

Tenten stood in the doorway, waving goodbye to her friends.

"See you tomorrow, Tenten!" Ino called.

"B-bye, Tenten!"

"Happy birthday, Tenten!"

Tenten nodded, her cheerful smile still on her face. But underneath her mask, she suppressed the urge to let out a huge sob at Sakura's words.

"Happy birthday, Tenten."

She slammed the door and leant against it, breathing slowly.

"Tenten?" Her mother looked in from the living room. "Something wrong?"

"N-no, Mom...nothing's wrong." Tenten forced a smile to her face and joined her mother in the living room. She picked up a book and flopped down on the couch next to her mom.

"Tenten, what's wrong?" Her mother said. She could sense something was wrong with her daughter. Usually, she'd be tearing at her birthday presents.

The now fourteen year old girl let her book drop to the floor and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

"N-Neji's gone!" She sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

Tenten's mother was confused. "Whatever do you mean, Tenten?"

"H-He..." She could barely understand her daughter. "He told me th-that he l-loved me...more than a sister..."

The older woman smiled slightly. She had expected this, one day.

"Isn't that a good thing, Tenten?" She said softly.

Tenten wiped her tears away fiercely. "NO IT IS NOT A GOOD THING! HE'S GONE NOW! HE'S NEVER COMING BACK!"

Tenten's mother laughed. "Silly girl, just because he likes you that way doesn't mean he won't want to be your friend."

"He doesn't want to be my friend anymore...I shouldn't be called his friend, the way I hurt him." Tenten mumbled into her mother shoulder.

Realization started to sink into her mother. "You mean...you rejected him?"

She felt Tenten nod. "Oh...but...don't you love Neji too?"

Tenten began shaking. "I-I do love him! But not the way he loves me! I-I don't love him the way he loves me! I want to, but I just can't! I don't know why! And now..." The girl shook even harder. "Now he's never coming back."

Tenten's mother didn't know what to say. So she did what a mother was supposed to do, and just sat there quietly, trying to hush her heartbroken daughter.


That night, Tenten slowly opened her birthday presents, because she had nothing better to do.

Usually she would be on the phone with Neji, ranting on about the presents she had opened earlier that day, and thanking him for his present as she did every year.

But this year, that wasn't an option.

Sighing, she tried on the shirt Ino had gotten her. It was black, and quite pretty. It suited Tenten well.

The next present, from Sakura, was a book on chemistry. Tenten smiled slightly, and put it on her shelf.

Hinata's present was a small crystal necklace in the shape of a flower, on a silver chain.

Now for Neji's present. Hand shaking slightly, Tenten lifted the her present out of the box.

She gasped when she saw it.

Two beautifully designed daggers, sitting facing each other on a black stand. The blades of the daggers were deeply curved into semi-circles with the vertical handles inside the curves forming silver dragons stretching from top to bottom. They curved forward to grasp the blades in their mouths and claws. The dragons were richly detailed, with each scale standing out in high relief and fiery rubies for eyes. The silver was antiqued with black to bring out the details and the handle grips were grooved black for a non slip grip.

On the bottom of the stand was an engraving:

I would never look down on you for your passion, Tenten. Be careful-Neji.

Tenten suddenly felt incredibly guilty. 'Why can't I give you the love you deserve? The love you want from me? You're...perfect. Why can't I love you like you want me to? Why do I only see you as a brother?'

Tenten put the box down on a floor, then saw something white inside it. She picked it up, and felt her heart beating faster.

A letter.

She ripped it open and read it.

Tenten,

I think that, by the time you read this letter, I will already have confessed.

If I have confessed nothing to you, destroy this letter immediately.

Tenten would have done that, if that had been the case. If there was something she and Neji had, it was complete trust in each other. But now...

If you have accepted me, then you may also stop reading this.

Although I state the above, I know, somehow, that you will reject me.

Yet, I still confessed, didn't I? Even though I knew the risks to our friendship.

You probably hate me for destroying all we had, don't you? But, Tenten, I would have rather confessed and destroyed our friendship rather than have spent my whole life wondering what could have happened. Please know that my confession would have been inevitable.

But I know that, as you read this, I will be sitting in my room, wishing with all my heart that I had waited longer before I confessed, so I could have spent more time with you. Because, Tenten, it is when I am with you that I feel the most happiness.

I am sorry for the pain I know I must have caused you. You know, once, I vowed that I would never let you suffer any pain. How ironic, that the one to cause you the most pain you have ever felt would be me.

Tenten, I promise now, that if you accept me, I will never hurt you. I swear it. I will give you whatever you want, whatever you need. When we spent time together, how did you feel? Complete? Happy? Loved?

That is what I feel when I am with you.

I ask you, as your friend, to please rethink your decision.

But even as I write that request, I know what you will do.

I know as surely as I would if it had already happened.

But still, I ask.

I love you, Tenten. I always will. Your actions will never change that.

Yours, Neji.

The letter fell from Tenten's hands, as the girl froze in shock.

But even as I write that request, I know what you will do.

I love you, Tenten. I always will. Your actions will never change that.